


Can Beauty Come Out Of Ashes?

by goldtrim_bluerose



Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV)
Genre: AU?, Bus Kids - Freeform, Deke is a lil genius, F/M, Fear of Abandonment, Found Family, Future Fic, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Past Child Abuse, Rough Childhoods, mama may
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-09
Updated: 2020-09-09
Packaged: 2021-03-06 18:35:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,206
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26373589
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/goldtrim_bluerose/pseuds/goldtrim_bluerose
Summary: Personally, he thought he did a good job deflecting the question but unfortunately for him, it lead to more questions.
Relationships: Leo Fitz & Jemma Simmons, Leo Fitz & Jemma Simmons & Skye | Daisy Johnson
Comments: 6
Kudos: 13





	Can Beauty Come Out Of Ashes?

**Author's Note:**

> Bus Kids + Young Deke one shot.
> 
> Thanks to Jess10 for requesting this. I hope you like it! 
> 
> The tittle from Celine Dion’s Ashes. It is sort of an AU if you kinda think about it. Enjoy!

“Who’s the kid in holding?” Daisy asked walking up to Simmons who was typing on her laptop. “I’ll know when Fitz and I talk to him.” She said looking up. “I could do it if you want, I know you guys are really busy-“Daisy began. 

“No, it’s fine. However, he is a strange little fella. He seems to be injured quite badly though.” Simmons said remembering the cut she saw on the boy’s face. 

“Yeah, it seems he took quite the beating.” Daisy took note that Simmons wanted to finish her work so she left her alone in the hallway.

“Simmons.” She turned around and saw May standing behind her. “May, the quinjet is taking off any minute now, shouldn’t you be onboard?” Simmons asked walking over to her.

“Coulson had to get something so we are waiting 5 minutes, then we leave with or without him.” She reached to her side and pulled out an ICER. 

“What is this for?” Simmons asked not moving her hand to pick it up. “For your interrogation. Incase things go sideways.” May spoke holding out the ICER for her to take. 

“He’s a kid. I don’t think-“ May held out her hand to stop her. “Better safe than sorry.” Simmons carefully took the gun and thanked May as she headed down the hall and turned the corner.

*

Fitz opened the door for him and Simmons to enter and gave one final look outside before closing the door behind them. Simmons was ready, ICER kept close and mind sharp. 

“Name?” Fitz asked crossing his arms. “Deke.” His voice shook a little bit as he spoke. His eyes darted around around the room nervously. 

Simmons saw how the boy was acting and pulled up a chair across from him. “We don’t want to hurt you.“ She gave a reassuring smile before letting Fitz ask the rest of the questions.

“Any food allergy’s?” Fitz asked looking up from the paper. “Nuts.“ Deke pauses, taking in their faces and continues.

“A nut is a fruit composed of an inedible hard shell and a seed, which is generally edible. Oh and also, did you know that nut eaters live longer than people who don’t eat nuts? That’s crazy, right?!” He laughed to himself. 

“I guess we have a little genius on our hands.” Fitz whispered into Simmons ear.

“Favorite animal?”

“I know a lot about animals but I don’t have a favorite. However, I learned from somewhere that for every human in the world, there are one million ants.” 

He touched his face and winced when he touched his cut. “Forgot I had that.” He laughed off the pain, hoping they wouldn’t notice. 

“That does look bad. I’m a doctor, may I take a look?” Simmons got out of her chair and began walking over to him, ready to help. 

The boy held up his hand to stop her. “Don’t worry Doc, I’ve been worse.” He brushes off her help and gives a small grin. Fitz and Simmons exchange worried glances before turning their attention back to him. 

“What do you mean by, been worse? How worse?” Fitz asked carefully, trying to mentally prepare himself for his answer. 

“Eh, you know...I’ve been punched in the face, beaten up and people have said some...very mean things to me...called me stupid and worthless or whatever.” He looked at FitzSimmons and instantly changed the subject.

“You know what, my injury doesn’t even hurt that bad. It’s just a scratch.” He said getting out of his chair. Personally, he thought he did a good job deflecting the question but unfortunately for him, it lead to more questions. 

“Deke. Have you been abused?” Simmons asked, her eyes filled with tears. “Well-I guess you could say that my parents don’t love me and the people that I did live with, well, they hurt me often...” He trailed off and started walking over to the door. 

Fitz took note of Simmons emotional state and ended the interrogation, leaving Deke alone in the room. 

*

“Jemma. We can’t force him to talk to us.” 

“Fitz. He was abused and he knows it. We should tell him that it’s-“

They heard footsteps and stopped talking. It was Daisy. She took note on their expressions and instantly panicked. 

“What happened?! Is everything okay?” She asked rushing over. She took one look at Simmons and instantly knew the questions ask. “Did he hurt you?” 

Fitz looked at Daisy and back at Deke who was sitting in the corner of the room, knees curled up to his chest. 

“Deke. Was abused and possibly still is. But he is deflecting our questions about it.” Fitz explained pulling Simmons closer to him.

“Daisy, we have to do something.” The three of them stood in the hallway giving occasional glances towards Deke. After a moment of silence, Simmons spoke up.

“Fitz, you could talk to him.” 

“Jemma...”

“It’s the only way he’ll open up to us.” Simmons explained giving Fitz “the look”.

“Fine. Nothing specific.” Fitz huffed, walking over to the door of the interrogation room. He hesitated before turning the knob and letting himself inside.

When he entered he saw Deke on the floor who was fidgeting with a pocket knife. As Fitz walked closer, he could see the number 17 was engraved into it. 

“Why do you have that?” 

Deke looked up in an instant and shoved the tool in his pocket. A wide-eyed Fitz gave one look back at Deke before bolting out of the room.

*

“I’m going to ask again. Why do you have that?” Fitz asked. His tone grew defensive and he narrowed his eyes at Deke. 

“Hey, be nice.” Simmons reminded. Deke gave one look at Simmons and another at Fitz before he began talking. 

“It’s the only thing I have left from my parents,” He began trying to avoid eye contact. “Before they abandoned me when I was a baby.”

*

“Why would he have my pocket knife? Why would I give it to him?”

“Forget about that, consider the logic. It was his parent’s and you have one yourself so maybe,”

“No. I refuse to believe that.”

“Fitz. What if?”

“What if? What?”

“What if, he is-he is-ours?”

“And what if he is not?”

“I’ll request for a DNA test. And if we are wrong than we are wrong, but,”

“But,”

“But if he is our’s, we have to figure out why and everything in between-”

“Hey, hey. Don’t get ahead of yourself.” 

Fitz took Simmons by the hand and they made their way to the lab, hoping their theory was not true.

*

Simmons felt a buzz come from her pocket. She picked it up on the first ring. “It can’t be.” Simmons whispers.

“What?” Fitz raised his eyebrow. A curious Daisy looked up. “Thank you.” Simmons hung up the phone and shoved it into her pocket. “He-Deke is our- our son.” She spat out. “What?! That’s so cool!” Daisy beamed.

“If he’s not from our past...then he must be from our future. Our future son who is not born in a few or many more years!” Fitz was over the moon. Not only did he have a son, but his son was a lil genius!

“So, now the question is...” Simmons began. “Who tells him.” Daisy finished for her. Daisy gave one look at FitzSimmons who were deciding amongst them themselves. 

“I’ll do it.” Daisy decided.

“Daisy,” Simmons began. 

“Jemma. Trust me when I say that he will want to rip you apart once he hears it from you guys. He will have so many questions, he will be confused and betrayed and everything in between.”

She turned to Fitz hoping that he would let her. “Just let me talk to him. He doesn’t know me, so the truth coming from me won’t hurt as much as it would coming from one of you guys.”

“Do it.” 

Daisy nodded before heading to Deke’s interrogation room. Simmons turned to Fitz and pulled out her ICER. 

“May gave me this before she left. Told me to be rather safe than sorry. She was right.” 

*

“My name is Daisy and I work closely with the two people who questioned you earlier today.”

“I thought I answered all their questions. Even the stupid one’s.”

“You did.”

“So, you are here to be my friend? I don’t need, nor do I want friends.”

“That’s not why I’m here.”

“Good.” Deke crossed his arms. Then he realized that he hadn’t meant to be rude or snappy towards the woman named Daisy. It just came out wrong. 

“I’m here because I have important information about you. About your parents.” At that point Daisy knew she had Deke’s complete attention.

“I don’t want to know.”

“Trust me, you do.”

He looked up at her and she looked back at him. Her eyes stayed leveled and focused while his eyes darted left and right. Daisy took a moment to gather her thoughts before continuing the conversation. 

“Your parents are alive and well.” She began slowly breaking the news to him. “Can I-meet them?” That last part was just barely a whisper. 

“Meet them? You’ve already met them.” Daisy whispered gently.

“I have?”

“Yes.”

“The people who questioned me, they- they are my parents?”

Daisy nodded giving a small smile.

“Have you ever met your parents?” Deke froze realizing what he had just asked. A stupid question. Damn. He was so going to get whipped or punched.

“I-“ Daisy’s voice cracked a little. “They weren’t who I thought they were.”

“What happened?” Damn it. Again. He knew he was being invasive and inconsiderate of someone’s privacy. But curiosity got the best of him.

“You know what, I don’t want to have this conversation.” Daisy spoke getting out of her chair and looked at Deke who has a sorry looking expression. 

“I’m sorry.” He whispered with his head hung low. Slowly, Daisy slipped back into the chair and continued to break the news to him. 

“My parents abandoned me as a baby too. I lived in an orphanage and was traded from one foster home to another. As I got older I began searching for them.”

“So I guess we have something in common.”

“There’s much more to my story but, your story is just beginning.”

“Why do you say that?”

“Because you have parents who care about you. Who love you very much.” 

“But if they loved me, why’d they leave me?”

“I don’t know. I’m sorry.”

“I’m worried that they will abandon me all over again now that they’ve seen who I have become.” 

“Are you worried that your parents aren’t everything you wanted them to be?”

“Yes. And the truth is, I care about them, I really do because they are my parents and all but, it’s just-I don’t...want to face the truth. The truth could be way worse than I’ve imagined.”

“Well, you should tell them how you feel before it’s too late.”

*

“You guys are my parents?” Deke asks from the other side of the interrogation room. 

“Its a lot to take in and you must have a lot of questions but, yes. We are your parents.” Simmons gives a small smile walking over to him. 

“We don’t know why we abandoned you because it hasn’t happened yet.” Fitz explains looking at Simmons who nods. 

“Do you have any idea what I have went through?! I needed you and you gave up on me. Didn’t even bother to visit or save me!” Deke stops to catch his breath. 

“Parents are always supposed to be there for their children...so how did this happen? Why weren’t you there?” Deke stares at them. His heartbreaking, falling out of his chest. 

“Leave.” He croaks. He looks up at them, pain filling his face. “Deke...” Simmons begins. “Leave!” He yells, bursting into tears.

“You are not, nor you will ever be my parents! Do you understand? You mean nothing to me. Nothing.” He empathized the word nothing. 

“Leave.” He says one last time. Fitz and Simmons turn and slams the heavy door behind them, and as they leave, the tears come pouring down.

*

“Look, I know we don’t know each other that well, but, we are sorry for everything you went through.” Simmons whispers to Deke through the thin glass window. Deke looks up at Fitz and then looks away. 

“Sorry doesn’t fix everything. I don’t want your apology.”

“Then what do you want?” Fitz huffed looking up at Deke, who’s back was to them.

“I-I don’t want you to abandon me," He turned around to face them. “Again.”

Deke hoped he got his point across just like how Daisy told him to do. He didn’t want to sound needy, he just wanted them to know how he felt.

Simmons, realizing what he meant and what he wanted she spoke up before Fitz did. 

“We would never, ever, do that again but please, forgive us. Forgive us for abandoning you and for not coming back.” Tears welled in her eyes. All eyes were set on Deke now.

“I can forgive, but I won’t forget.” 

“That’s a start. A good start.”

“Can we start over? The three of us? As a-a family?” Deke asked, blushing slightly.

“Absolutely.”


End file.
